Improving our brain health takes a village.
It’s a community of researchers, clinicians, leaders, founders, and funders working together to turn possibility into impact.
Some of Australia’s braintech has already made global waves – think Saluda and Synchron – both born from collaboration. It makes sense that some of the most ambitious innovators inevitably have to look overseas for funding and opportunities. Our village needs to stay connected to the world while encouraging Australian innovators to thrive on a global stage.
The challenge of brain health calls for radical collaboration. It is only when we cross the road, yell over the back fence, and venture down the laneway that we begin to find ways to truly invest in and scaffold every brain. When the stars align – conversations, grants, clinical partners, industry partners – possibility turns into impact. Collaboration at its best builds collective power by leveraging our individual strengths.
Epiminder is a great example of the village in action. Epiminder grew out of the Bionics Institute, The University of Melbourne, St Vincent’s Hospital and Cochlear as founding collaborators and investors.
Its founder, Professor Mark Cook, is a solar system himself, with so many connected to him and grateful to him for their time in his orbit.
The village is buoyed by generous souls. Much of the research leading to technologies helping us improve our brain health has been backed by philanthropy.
Rachel Slattery
Professor Stuart Crozier led me to Dr Rachel de las Heras to discover their breakthrough work at Ceretas.
This company’s innovations are only possible thanks to the Clem Jones Foundation, whose support of the Queensland Brain Institute 15 years ago was instrumental in initiating dementia research. That research ultimately led to the development of Ceretas’ portable, non-invasive ultrasound platform, designed to treat neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, depression, and addiction by temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier to facilitate targeted drug delivery and the removal of aggregated proteins.
Generosity can also involve sharing knowledge, culture, and care to help shift systems.
Yiliyapinya, founded by educator and leader Sheryl Batchelor, a proud Kunja woman, is developing digital tools informed by neuroscience that make brain health accessible and engaging for children, young people, families, and the workforce. A notable collaboration with the Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership is enabling the Growing Deadly Brains project.
Startups and new ventures rolling out of public funded research are also key contributors to the braintech village. Celosia Therapeutics, which spun out of Macquarie University, is developing advanced gene therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and has neighbours worth having! The company has secured a Series A round backed by hedge fund manager and ALS patient Iomar Barrett, as well as UniSuper and Uniseed, totalling $16.75 million, which will accelerate progress from the lab to the clinic.
Community-focused initiatives, like the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’s HeadCheck concussion app supported by the AFL and Dementia Australia’s BrainTrack developed by teams at Deakin University, which has also received funding from the Federal Government, show how collaboration can support public health and everyday lives.
Super-connectors play a vital role in the village as imaginative signposts and generous guides. Andrew Maxwell continues to help join many of the dots. The super-connector-investor Harikesh Pushpapathan is connected here and overseas, and this connection led to the generous Adam Caplan, a New York-based VC who happens to be one of the first investors in Synchron, thanks to connections he made long ago in Melbourne. This role of introductions and overtures is crucial when innovators rely on networks to help them find what they need.
Braintech startups are sprouting right here in our own backyards – companies like Cortical Labs, Fluent and Tessara are all building extraordinary technologies with global ambitions. These ventures are a reminder that when it comes to brain health innovation, Australia really does need to be one village. Borders, egos and the “stay in your lane” mindset simply have to go.
The challenge of brain health is too big for silos. Radical collaboration is what will enable us to scale solutions, improve care, and transform lives.
Now that is a village worth visiting!
Consider being part of the village at BrainTech 2025 in Melbourne on 30 October, 2025 — to spark new connections, accelerate collaboration and supercharge brain health innovation.
- Rachel Slattery is the director of Silver Futures, and established and nurtured community-led gatherings including Tech23 and Agile Australia.
